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The July 2025 Pokémon Presents stream has been and gone after being announced nearly a month ago. While it wasn’t one of their strongest showings, there are a couple of neat announcements in here with some fresh new looks at upcoming titles like Pokémon Champions and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Here are all the biggest announcements from the stream.
We Got A Lengthy New Look At Pokémon Legends: Z-A
The next entry in the Pokémon Legends subseries is looking to be quite the shake-up. This new look at the game shows off new Mega Evolutions while also giving an overview of the story and general gameplay loop. Set in Pokémon X and Y’s Lumiose City, Legends: Z-A has you stepping into the shoes of a fresh new trainer who’s invited to join team MZ. MZ’s objective is a simple one; to protect Lumiose City. There are a few core members like Naveen and Lida who you’ll spend your days with in Lumiose City, and will no doubt play a big part in the game’s story.
Lumiose City changes as it moves through its day and night cycle. By day, you’ll explore the city and find Pokémon to catch and add to your party. By night, you can compete in the Z-A Royale with the Pokémon you’ve trained in an attempt to climb the ranks. As you advance in the Z-A Royale, you’ll unlock battles against more powerful trainers, which seem to stand in for gym battles.
Aside from battling, there’s plenty of other activities to engage with in Lumiose. You can change your hairstyle, looks, and clothing, with a level of trainer customisation that we’ve not seen in a Pokémon game before. There’s also a built in photo mode and you can hangout with your Pokémon at different spots throughout the city. As you explore, you’ll continue to meet other characters in Lumiose who ask for help with their problems in the form of side missions. As always, there’s another Pokédex to fill out and complete as you progress through the story.
Perhaps most exciting is Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s focus on Mega Evolution. This mechanic introduced in Pokémon X and Y is returning, only wild Pokémon have been Mega Evolving on their own and have been going rogue. You’ll need to fight fire with fire, using your own Mega Evolutions to neutralise the threats. You can also bring along an ally from Team MZ to help you, and a new Mega Evolution was shown off in Mega Dragonite.
It’s still set to launch on October 16th, with an upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 Edition available at launch. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 bundle coming that includes a digital copy of Legends: Z-A. You can check out the new footage below.
Pokémon Champions Is Due Out in 2026
Revealed at this year’s previous Pokémon Presents, Pokémon Champions is purely focused on Pokémon battling. Developed for Switch and mobile devices, you can bring your own Pokémon over from Pokémon Home to fight in battles, or use Pokémon available within Pokémon Champions.
You’ll recruit Pokémon to battle alongside you to form a team. Once you’re ready, you can jump into online ranked battles and private battles. It seems as though only single and double battles will be available at launch, but hopefully more can be added in the future. Additionally, Pokémon can be trained and raised in ways that are more flexible and convenient than ever. It allows you to set stats, moves, natures, and abilities. It’s looking like a no-frills Pokémon battling experience that cuts out a lot of the preparation that comes with competitive play.
It’s due out in 2026 for Nintendo Switch and mobile. You can check out the gameplay overview below.
Pokémon Friends Is A New Puzzle Game That’s Available Right Now
There always seems to be smaller Pokémon projects while we wait for mainline titles, the next of which is Pokémon Friends. It’s a brand-new puzzle game that’s available on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices right now.
It sports over 1,200 puzzles with the promise of new ones every day, some of which are short and sweet while others might be a bit longer. As you get through puzzles, you can deck out your in-game plush rooms with plush toys of Pokémon. The puzzles also seem to vary quite a bit, so it might be a nice daily brain teaser, especially for Pokémon fans.
The game is available now on iOS, Android and the Nintendo Switch eShop. You can check out the trailer below.
The Creators of Wallace & Grommit Are Making A Stop-Motion Animated Pokémon Series
Perhaps one of the coolest surprise announcements of the stream is that Aardman Animation Studio revealed they’re creating a stop-motion animated Pokémon series. Cofounder and creative director of Aardman, Peter Lord, took the stage and expressed excitement over working on the project. He mentioned that it’ll be set in a region close to Aardman’s heart, likely Galar given its British inspirations. The series is called Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu.
If their previous work is anything to go off of, this series should be a banger. It’s coming out in 2027 but there’s a short teaser you can check out below.
If you’re looking at pre-ordering Pokémon Legends: Z-A, you can do so from Amazon for $99 with free shipping HERE for the Nintendo Switch 2 or $78 with free shipping for the OG Switch HERE.
